1400 Degrees
by USAFA
Summary: 1400 Degrees is the story of Montag after he leaves the Intellectuals. He begins having visions and nightmares that lead him to tragic and twisted discoveries. Follow Montag as he meets back up with figures from his past and unimaginable horrors.
1. Chapter 1

"You know Montag, it's been more than ten years since you came to us straight from the jaws of the Hound." Granger hesitated before going on, "The rest of the group and I have a proposition for you. We feel that staying out of sight is becoming useless and that the world may need a push into a new age. Therefore, we wish to take things into our own hands…" Granger's voice began to quicken with excitement and he hurried to the point. "The group wants to burn down those who oppose the new world; we will be giving them a taste of their own poison." Montag stared at the group he had spent ten years with. Some of their eyes were clouded with feverish madness, while others were dull and lifeless.

"What of our goal to reinstate a new government peacefully? Why can't we wait until the world is ready?"

Granger snorted in disgust. "The world will never be ready unless we make it so. Come Montag, burn with us."

Montag hurriedly gathered his meager belongings. "I thought that you all were above this. Now I can see that you are no better than the society we came from." A withered hand fell upon Montag's shoulder, and when he looked up, Montag saw the crazed eyes of Granger.

"You're either with us or against us." Montag shook off Granger's hand as he stood up.

"Then I guess I'm against you," Montag replied as he began to walk into the dense overgrowth.

"You're making a huge mistake!" Granger shouted at Montag's retreating back. Montag ignored him and continued walking away.


	2. Chapter 2

Montag walked through the woods, enjoying the serenity of nature. "How could they have turned so violent?" Montag wondered aloud. He pondered the question for awhile with no success. Finally, his feet grew tired and he sat on a rotting log to rest while two squirrels played tag on the branches above his head. Montag watched the playful squirrels prance across the delicate branches. Then, one unlucky squirrel missed the branch and tumbled down through the air.

_An old man collapsed into the dirt while three men in uniforms circled him viciously. "Uncle!" the girl cried. Trying to respond to the girl's call the old man raised his head. Noticing that their prey was alive, two of the uniformed men took out guns and began to shoot the defenseless body. The third man turned to face a stunned girl. She stared at her uncle and started to bawl. "Why…" she sobbed. Then the men turned and pointed their guns at her. Realizing the danger she was in, the girl hurriedly stumbled backwards. They waited, as if unwilling to end the girl's pathetic attempts to run away. Then, the man in the middle stepped forwards and pulled the trigger. Screaming at the pain in her thigh, she fell on the ground. However, the approaching figures of the uniformed men caused her to scramble back onto her feet and hobble away as fast as she could. Displaying the first hint of emotion, one of the men began to chuckle at the pitiful sight. Quickly, the chuckle turned into a guffaw shared by all three while the injured girl limped away._

Montag snapped back into reality. Disoriented and scared he grabbed his bag and blindly took off running. Twigs and foliage slapped his face as he frantically ran passed. Finally, a newly fallen log got in his way and he collapsed in a heap on the ground. Gathering his bearings, Montag took a moment to think about what he had seen. 'Who were those men, and why where they hurting that poor girl and her uncle? And why did the girl seem so familiar?' Many questions flew through Montag's mind. Exhausted and unable to think he curled into a ball and closed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Montag peeled open his unwilling eyes and looked around at the birds that rested on every tree. A few feet away, a buck lapped up water from a nearby stream. The peace helped Montag relax, because he was still frightened by the vision he had the other night. Finally having time to gather his bearings, Montag began to look over the items still left in his bag. "Damn it." Montag quietly cursed himself for not remembering to grab the basic essentials. There was no food, water, or any other necessary item in his bag. Grumbling, Montag stumbled to his feet and began to head out of the forest. "There **must** be a town nearby," he said to himself as he started his long walk towards civilization.

After walking for a couple of hours, Montag felt himself beginning to give up. 'Where is everyone?' he thought to himself. Then, just when his determination had failed him, Montag came upon a clearing and a downward sloping hill. Sighing with relief, Montag started to run as fast as his worn out legs could take him. A village, at last! Though a small one, it seemed very well established with a small building on the outskirts. However, common sense returned to Montag and he began to worry about the mind frame present in this town. 'Do they appreciate books? Or do they burn them like they did in my old city?' Montag couldn't help but wonder. Finally, Montag realized that the only way to find out was to go in himself. Summoning up all his courage, Montag headed down the hill.

Stopping at the first house he came to, Montag timidly knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman with a weary face answered the door; she had a swaddled new born in her arms and small boy latched on to her leg. Montag was unsure of what to say and he stumbled over his words.

"Ummm, excuse me, ma'am. Do you know where a weary traveler could rest his feet for the night?"

The woman was polite but firm in her response. "There is no place is this town for a tired man to stay the night. We in Copemish rarely receive visitors." However, when she looked into Montag's sad eyes she changed her mind. "But, I guess I have another bed in the back room that is unoccupied. If you wish, you can stay here tonight."

Montag thanked the lady and gratefully followed her into the house. Once inside, Montag noticed the rest of the family. A petite girl huddled next to the fire with her younger brother. The small boy that Montag had encountered at the door came in and sat with his siblings in front of the hearth. The girl and her younger brother spoke first.

"Please sir," they began "do you have any stories to tell?"

The words from these two small children caused an instant reaction.

"They don't know what they're saying sir. They're just foolish children!" the women from the door frantically tried to dig herself out of the hole her children had created. "Please don't turn us in." she begged Montag.

"It's okay," he told the family "for I do have stories to tell. Gather around."

All of the children circled around Montag, lapping up his words with greed. So Montag began his tale. He spoke of his journey and the intellectuals, and he wove webs with each and every word. The small family became entranced with Montag's heroic tale and they were all disappointed when he was done. After a long moment of silence the mother spoke,

"Alright children, off to bed."

The children groaned and grumbled, but dutifully marched off to bed.

"And I suppose you are exhausted as well?" she said

"Why yes I am." He replied

"I'll show you to your room Mr. …"

"…Montag."


	4. Chapter 4

Montag crawled under the thread bare blankets and listened to the pounding of rain. The lullaby of rain drops made Montag drift into sleep. His eyes were heavy like an anvil; they closed quickly and sent him into a deep slumber.

_Through the rain, a familiar jail cell loomed into view. The young girl from Montag's first vision was passed out on the floor, while two guards stood over her and chatted._

_ "Man, the rain is coming down hard." the first guard said._

_ "I know, and it came out of nowhere." the second replied._

_ "If it doesn't let up soon, we won't be able to do the burning in the morning."_

_ "The burning?"_

_ "Oh, they didn't tell you? Yeah, we are going to burn this she-devil in the morning with the rest of the books we uncovered from town."_

_ "I see. She acted like a witch and now she'll be burned like one." The second guard laughed, "I can't wait."_

_ The first guard leaned over the body and spat directly in the girl's face. Then, both men kicked her on their way out into the main room of the jail house._

Montag sat up in bed covered in a cold sweat and scared out of his wits.

"Clarisse…" he whispered.


End file.
